Holiday Wine, with You and Me [Chaennie ]

Part 5 : I Am Such A Fool (Now I know)

Dinner prep that evening is a fairly straightforward affair, with Jennie deciding on a simple risotto. It's also an infinitely stranger one than the previous night. Where the evening before Jennie had felt almost lonely in the kitchen until Rosie had volunteered her help, tonight she finds herself having to shoo people away.

Jisoo, in particular, seems very interested in placing her body in whatever space there is between her sister and Jennie herself.

It's making Lisa grumble and frown in her seat at the kitchen island, so Jennie doesn't mind it much.

"Who wants to cut these into half rings for me?" Jennie asks, holding up a couple of leeks, and already three people are volunteering. Jisoo wins, pointing out that Rosie's glass of wine is empty and therefore neither she nor Lily should be handling knives.

"Always looking out for everyone else, my big sister," Rosie says, pleased, petting Jisoo' head a little roughly.

"Back off," Jisoo warns her. "This thing is very sharp."

"Rosie, parsley, fridge," Jennie instructs.

"Jisoo started teaching me life's important lessons when I was twelve," Rosie tells Jennie over Jisoo's shoulder. Her sister seems to be deliberately taking up space at the counter, wedging them apart.

Jennie looks at Jisoo, amused. "Is that so? And how old were you?"

"Fourteen," Jisoo confesses, "But wise beyond my years."

"Hey," Lily protests, turning toward Jisoo so furiously that Jennie ends up with some of her ponytail in her mouth.

"Like this one!" Jisoo amends, reaching behind Jennie to poke at Lily's ribs. "Lots of wisdom in this one, too."

Rosie tosses a bag of greens over Jisoo's head. Jennie is proud of herself for catching it. After a moment's consideration, she tosses it back. "Parsley," she tells Rosie. That is baby spinach."

Rosie hums, opening the refrigerator again. "What was it you told me? That I was not very brave, or all that funny—"

From her barstool, Lisa snorts. "That was the professional estimation of miss Killjoy over here? I'm amazed."

" You can shut right up," Jisoo tells her sweetly.

"... and that I didn't run very fast," Rosie continues.

"Still true actually, that one," Jisoo pontificates with the beer bottle she's traded for the knife in her hand. "Meet us at the park any given Sunday morning and watch her eat my dust."

Forcibly pushing past her sister this time, Rosie presents Jennie with a bunch of leafy greens. "Rosie," Jennie says. "I said parsley. This is basil."

Rosie frowns, takes it back, heads for the fridge again.

"And you seemed plenty quick this afternoon," Jennie remarks pointedly. "If that's called 'not very fast', Jisoo, I may just have to take you up on your offer. It's time I get this useless body back in shape, anyway. Rosie, are you seriously trying to hand me a bunch of carrots right now?"

Rosie isn't listening, because she's too busy checking her out, taking Jennie's words as permission to let her eyes roam freely over Jennie's form — or what's visible of it underneath her many, many, many layers of clothing.

Lily is frowning at Jennie. "You should be kinder to yourself," she says. "All bodies are good bodies."

Lisa's eyes light up when Lily's words sink in and she sits up, pointing at her daughter with both hands, victorious. "Boom!" she exclaims. "I knew I raised this kid right."